2006 DODGE RAM 2500 Complaints

ISSUE: LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT BULBS QUIT WORKING, AFTER SEVERAL REPLACEMENTS, INSTALLING NEW BULBS (LAMPS) DOES NOT REPAIR THE ISSUE. THE VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS NO LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS, THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS. NOT DRIVABLE AT NIGHT. TIPM (TOTALLY INTEGRATED POWER MODULE) IS AT FAULT ACCORDING TO DODGE TECHNICIAN. THE LEFT (DRIVERS SIDE) LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT WENT OUT IN 2007, I REPLACED THE HEADLAMP BULB. OK. THE RIGHT (PASSENGER SIDE) LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT WENT OUT IN EARLY 2008. I REPLACED THE HEADLAMP BULB. OK. IN 2012 ,BOTH LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. I REPLACED BOTH LAMPS.OK. IN 2013, THE RIGHT (PASSENGERS SIDE) LOW BEAM HEADLAMP WENT OUT. I REPLACED THE RIGHT (PASSENGERS SIDE) LOW BEAM LAMP, BUT THE LIGHT STILL DOES NOT WORK. I TOOK TO SHOP, AND THEY ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR, BUT COULD NOT LOCATE ISSUE. THEY SAID, NO FUSES TO REPLACE, IT HAS A TIPM MODULE THAT CONTROLS THE LIGHTING. IN 2014, THE LEFT (DRIVERS SIDE) LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT WENT OUT. I REPLACED THE HEADLAMP BULB. STILL NO LIGHTS. IN 2014, I CALLED THE DODGE DEALER, SPOKE WITH SERVICE. THE TECHNICIAN TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE 2006 DODGE RAM HEADLIGHTS, THAT IT IS PROBABLY THE TIPM (TOTALLY INTEGRATED POWER MODULE) THAT NEEDS REPLACED. THE QUOTED COST OF THE TIPM WAS APPROXIMATELY $800 AND THE LABOR ABOUT $150. SUMMARY: MARCH 2015. THE 2006 DODGE RAM IS NOT OPERATIONAL EXCEPT DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS. IT ONLY HAS OPERATIONAL HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS, NO LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS. ALL NEW BULBS. I CANNOT AFFORD A REPAIR BILL OF ALMOST $1,000 TO GET A $20 HEADLIGHT TO OPERATE BY REPLACING THE TIPM . DODGE NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE IN MY OPINION. THE ISSUE JUST GETS WORSE WITH TIME, AND THEN, REPLACING THE LIGHT BULBS DOES NOT HELP. *TR

THE DATE LISTED IS THE FIRST INSTANCE, TODAY, MARCH 3, 2015 WAS THE 2ND, WHILE DRIVING TOWING A TRAILER AND TRYING TO COME TO A STOP SIMULTANEOUSLY THE ELECTRIC TRAILER BRAKES FAILED TO ENERGIZE PUSHING THE TRUCK INTO A SKID AND THE ABS FAILED TO FUNCTION, UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION WE FOUND THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS ON BOTH THE TRUCK AND TRAILER WERE NOT WORKING, TALKED TO THE DEALER TODAY AND THEY SAID "OH ITS PROBABLY JUST THE "TIPM" OR ONBOARD POWER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM" AS IF THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. NEITHER INCIDENT CAUSED AN ACCIDENT HOWEVER FOR MY PART I HAVE BEEN TOWING TRAILERS AND DRIVING TRUCKS FOR A LONG TIME. *TR

MY TRUCK HAS WHAT IS KNOW AS "DEATH WOBBLE" AT CERTAIN HWY SPEEDS THE TRUCK SHAKES VIOLENTLY, YOU HAVE TO SLOW DOWN OR YOU WILL LOSE CONTROL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 DODGE RAM 2500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THERE WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THEN TOWED TO THE RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT WAS A CERTIFIED MECHANIC, WHO INFORMED THAT THE STEERING GEAR BOX SHAFT FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000.

AFTER DRIVING THE TRUCK TO A DENTIST APPOINTMENT, THE TRUCK WOULD NOT START AND THERE WAS FUEL SPRAYING OUT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHEN TURNING THE ENGINE OVER. A FEW DAYS EARLIER, I HAD COMMENTED ABOUT THE DIESEL ENGINE HAVING A "HICCUP". AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP, THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID "I BET I KNOW WHAT IT IS WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING". AS IT TURNS OUT, HE WAS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. THE #4 CYLINDER FUEL INJECTOR LINE WAS RUPTURED AND SPAYING FUEL EVERYWHERE. HE INDICATED THAT THE '06 WAS VULNERABLE TO BREAKING THAT PARTICULAR INJECTOR LINE DUE TO VIBRATIONS. I LOOKED TB'S UP ON THE INTERNET AND THERE WERE NONE. HOWEVER, I FOUND NUMEROUS CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME LINE FAILURE FOR '05 AND '06 MODELS. THIS CONDITION IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. IF THE FAILURE OCCURS WHILE ON THE ROAD AND THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN, THERE COULD BE SERIOUS RISKS TO EVERYONE ON THE ROAD AS THESE RIGS ARE MADE TO PULL TRAILERS AND OTHER HEAVY EQUIPMENT. IN ADDITION, NUMEROUS OF THE COMPLAINTS CITED ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES. IF THIS SITUATION DOESN'T WARRANT AN NHTSA INVESTIGATION AND SUBSEQUENT RECALL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WOULD TAKE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 DODGE RAM 2500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AS MOST OF THE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE INTEGRATED POWER MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 155,000.

RECURRENT ELECTRICAL ISSUES, THAT DO NOT INVOLVE BLOWN FUSES OR BULBS. ENGINE DIAGNOSTIC CODES HAVE INDICATED TIPM PROBLEMS AND I HAVE HAD TO "ERASE CODES" TO RESTORE FUNCTIONALITY. THEN 2-3 MONTHS LATER RECURRENT PROBLEMS, ABNORMAL CODES AND ERASURE RESTORES FUNCTION. CODE DESCRIPTION INDICATES THAT THE TIPM WILL ONLY ALLOW 6 OR 8 RESETS ( DO NOT RECALL EXACT NUMBER) BEFORE TIPM WILL 'LOCK UP' AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. DESCRIPTION OF EPISODES: > RECURRENT MALFUNCTION OF INSTRUMENT LIGHTS. SUDDENLY ALL DASH LIGHTS AND TAIL LIGHTS SHUT OFF, YET BRAKE LIGHTS, HEADLIGHTS AND HAZARD LIGHTS REMAIN ON. HOWEVER, FOG LIGHTS CANNOT BE TURNED OFF, EVEN AFTER HEADLIGHTS OFF. THE DASH LIGHTS THEN FLASHED 4 TIMES, REMAINED OUT 2-3 MINS THEN FLASHED 4 TIMES. IN ADDITION TO THE LIGHTING PROBLEMS, THE VEHICLE BEGAN MISFIRING AND EVENTUALLY STALLED. WOULD NOT RESTART. ACTED LIKE NO SPARK AVAILABLE TO CYLINDERS. 5 MINS LATER, TRUCK STARTED HOWEVER DASH LIGHTS STILL OUT AND THEN INTERMITTENTLY FLASHING. I DROVE HOME USING HAZARD LIGHTS AS I HAD NO TAIL LIGHTS. SIMILAR EPISODE AS ABOVE HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES. > OTHER EPISODES OF TAIL LIGHT MALFUNCTION ALONG WITH INTERMITTENT LACK OF POWER TO RADIO. FUNCTION RESTORED AFTER STOPPING AND RESTARTING CAR > SUDDEN MISFIRING AND EVENTUAL STALL. RESTARTED AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, RAN ROUGH BUT GOT TO DEALER. NO PROBLEM FOUND. RAN FINE FOR THEM. NO INJECTOR ISSUE. *TR

HAVE RECEIVED TWO RECALLS. WENT TO ASHLAND VIRGINIA DEALER AT LEAST SEVEN MONTHS AGO AND VERIFIED MY TRUCK NEEDED TO GET REPAIRED. THE SERVICE DESK PUT MY INFORMATION IN THE COMPUTER AND SAID I WOULD BE NOTIFIED WHEN PARTS AVAILABLE. I HAVE BEEN BACK SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN THE PARTS. I AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED THAT NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. EVERY TIME I HAUL MY HORSES I WORRY ABOUT THE STEERING. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN HELP [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 DODGE RAM 2500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 09E001000 (STEERING) AND 13V528000 (STEERING). THE PARTS NEEDED WERE UNAVAILABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO INFORM WHEN THE PARTS WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. UPDATED 03/30/15*LJ UPDATED 6/22/2015 *JS

STARTED TRUCK TO LEAVE FOR WORK ONE MORNING AND HEAD LIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON. DEALERSHIP SAID IT HAS A BAD TIPM. *TR